In air travel and the like, it is important to identify the presence or absence of a passenger in or from each seat in the passenger compartment. This aides in the onboarding process and allows a flight crew to verify that an aircraft is secured and ready for takeoff or landing, for example. Typically, such identification is performed by visual inspection by the flight crew. This is a labor intensive process and does not ensure that a passenger does not leave his or her seat after the visual inspection is performed, for example.
In air travel and the like, for safety reasons, it is also important to verify that each and every seat back is in an upright position before takeoff or landing, for example. Again, such verification is typically performed by visual inspection by the flight crew. This is a labor intensive process and does not ensure that a passenger does move leave his or her seat back after the visual inspection is performed, for example.
In air travel and the like, for safety reasons, it is further important to determine if a seat cushion is dislodged or removed. Such a dislodged seat cushion could indicate the presence of a prohibited object beneath the seat cushion or prevent the seat cushion from functioning as intended during an emergency. Again, such determination is typically performed by visual inspection by the flight crew. This is a labor intensive process and does not ensure that a passenger does dislodge his or her seat cushion after the visual inspection is performed, for example.
Although there are existing systems and methods available for individually identifying the presence or absence of a passenger in or from a given seat in the passenger compartment, verifying that a given seat back is in an upright position, and determining if a given seat cushion is dislodged or removed, what are still needed in the art are systems or methods for performing and coordinating more than one of these functions simultaneously.